Ahead of Arsenal’s visit to Loftus Road this weekend LFW looks back at a memorable FA Cup replay between the two sides 22 years ago, and a former Arsenal stalwart who scored for Rangers that night.

Recent Meetings

Arsenal 1 QPR 0, Saturday December 31, 2011, Premiership

A patchy Arsenal display was still good enough to take all three points from QPR on new Year’s Eve earlier this season. The R’s, still under the charge of Neil Warnock at the time, made a bright start to the game with a reshaped team but were still lucky to survive two gilt edged Robin Van Persie chances in the first half. The Dutchman looked well in the mood against an unorthodox centre back pairing of Danny Gabbidon and Matt Connolly against his former club. Van Persie would win the game in the second half, seizing on a senseless back pass from Shaun Wright Phillips before slotting home, but one of the most inept misses of all time from Theo Walcott just beforehand was just as big a talking point after the match.

Arsenal: Szczesny 7, Djourou 6, Mertesacker 7, Koscielny 7, Vermaelen 7 (Coquelin 54, 6), Song 6, Arteta 6, Walcott 5 (Gervinho 74, 7), Ramsey 8, Arshavin 5 (Rosicky 67, 6), van Persie 8

Subs Not Used: Almunia, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Chamakh, Benayoun

Booked: Vermaelen (foul), Djourou (foul)

Goals: van Persie 60 (unassisted)

QPR: Cerny 7, Young 7, Connolly 6, Gabbidon 6, Traore 7 (Orr 77, -), Faurlin 6, Barton 6, Mackie 5 (Smith 74, 6), Taarabt 7, Wright-Phillips 6, Bothroyd 6 (Campbell 64, 5)

Subs Not Used: Murphy, Hill, Derry, Helguson

Booked: Barton (foul), Young (foul)

QPR 0 Arsenal 6, Saturday January 27, 2001, FA Cup

QPR will be hoping for no repeat of what happened the last time Arsenal played competitively at Loftus Road – a hefty FA Cup hammering back in 2001. Having laboured through a Third Round tie and replay that went to extra time against Second Division strugglers Luton, First Division side QPR pulled Arsenal at home in the Fourth Round. They made a good start in front of a capacity crowd, Peter Crouch had a header cleared from the goal mouth and another that bounced down right on the line after hitting the bar but stayed out before the Gunners set about a systematic demolition of Gerry Francis’ team. Chris Plummer kneed in a low cross for an embarrassing own goal opener, then Sylvain Wiltord’s low shot deflected into the net off former Arsenal man Matthew Rose after Dennis Bergkamp had drawn Ludek Miklosko from his line. The second half was embarrassingly one sided. Another own goal, this time from Rose at close range under pressure from Wiltord as Ashley Cole crossed, started the rout and Wiltord then volleyed the fourth after being left unmarked at a corner. A swift counter attack constructed by Bergkamp and Ray Parlour set up Robert Pires for number five and the sixth was bagged by Bergkamp himself after Maddix’s pass out of defence was intercepted by Patrick Viera.

QPR: Miklosko, Perry (Koejoe (Ngonge)), Carlisle, Plummer (Connolly), Rose, Baraclough, Peacock, Langley, Darlington, Crouch, Kiwomya

Subs not used: Harper, Morrow

Bookings: Carlisle, Baraclough

Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Stepanovs, Adams, Cole, Lauren (Grimandi), Viera (Vivas), Parlour, Pires (Malz), Bergkamp, Wiltord

Subs not used: Henry, Manninger

Bookings: Cole, Lauren

Goals: Plummer og 32, Wiltord 33, 56, Rose og 49, Pires 58, Bergkamp 74

QPR 1 Arsenal 1, Saturday March 2, 1996, Premiership

The last Premiership meeting between these two sides at Lofttus Road was towards the end of QPR’s 1995/96 relegation season. Arsenal were a steady midtable side at this stage, supplemented by Dennis Bergkamp up front and managed by Bruce Rioch. This game is often forgotten by Rangers fans amid the more notable disasters of that campaign such as the 98th minute Man Utd equaliser and Spurs 3-2 victory after QPR had led 2-0, but the R’s dropped another two crucial points here after taking the lead. Kevin Gallen kept up his impressive goal scoring record against the Gunners with a crisp first half finish but Arsenal levelled in the second half thanks to an explosive volley from Bergkamp at the School End. I maintain that Bergkamp is the best opposition player I’ve seen play against QPR in my time watching the club. QPR finished second bottom and were relegated, Arsenal climbed up as high as fifth by the end of the campaign.

QPR: Sommer, Bardsley, Challis, Ready, Yates, Barker, Holloway, Quashie, Impey (Dichio), Gallen, Sinclair

Subs not used: Goodridge, Plummer

Goal: Gallen

Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Linighan, Morrow (Rose), Winterburn, Platt, Parlour, Merson, Bergkamp, Hartson

Subs not used: Hillier, Hughes

Goal: Bergkamp

Previous Results

2011/12 Arsenal 1 QPR 0

2000/01 QPR 0 Arsenal 6*

1995/96 QPR 1 Arsenal 1 (Gallen)

1995/96 Arsenal 3 QPR 0

1994/95 QPR 3 Arsenal 1 (Gallen, Impey, Ready)

1994/95 Arsenal 1 QPR 3 (Gallen, Impey, Allen)

1993/94 QPR 1 Arsenal 1 (Penrice)

1993/94 Arsenal 0 QPR 0

1992/93 Arsenal 0 QPR 0

1992/93 QPR 0 Arsenal 0

1991/92 QPR 0 Arsenal 0

1991/92 Arsenal 1 QPR 1 (Bailey)

1990/91 Arsenal 2 QPR 0

1990/91 QPR 1 Arsenal 3 (Wegerle)

1989/90 QPR 2 Arsenal 0 (Wilkins, Wegerle)

1989/90 QPR 2 Arsenal 0* (Sansom, Sinton)

1989/90 Arsenal 0 QPR 0*

1989/90 Arsenal 3 QPR 0

1988/89 QPR 0 Arsenal 0

1988/89 Arsenal 2 QPR 1 (Falco)

1987/88 Arsenal 0 QPR 0

1987/88 QPR 2 Arsenal 0 (Byrne, McDonald)

1986/87 QPR 1 Arsenal 4 (McDonald)

1986/87 Arsenal 3 QPR 1 (Bannister)

1985/86 Arsenal 3 QPR 1 (Bannister)

1985/86 QPR 0 Arsenal 1

1984/85 QPR 1 Arsenal 0 (James)

1984/85 Arsenal 1 QPR 0

1983/84 Arsenal 0 QPR 2 (Stewart, Fenwick)

1983/84 QPR 2 Arsenal 0 (Gregory, Neill)

1978/79 QPR 1 Arsenal 2 (Shanks)

1978/79 Arsenal 5 QPR 1 (McGee)

1977/78 QPR 2 Arsenal 1 (Shanks, Bowles)

1977/78 Arsenal 1 QPR 0

1976/77 QPR 2 Arsenal 1 (Francis, Hollins)

1976/77 QPR 2 Arsenal 1** (Masson, Webb)

1976/77 Arsenal 3 QPR 2 (Thomas, McLintock)

1975/76 QPR 2 Arsenal 1 (McLintock, Francis)

1975/76 Arsenal 2 QPR 0

1974/75 QPR 0 Arsenal 0

1974/75 Arsenal 2 QPR 2 (Bowles 2)

1973/74 Arsenal 1 QPR 1 (Bowles)

1973/74 QPR 2 Arsenal 0 (Bowles, Givens)

1968/69 QPR 0 Arsenal 1

1968/69 Arsenal 2 QPR 1 (Wilks)

1921/22 QPR 1 Arsenal 2* (Smith)

1921/22 Arsenal 0 QPR 0*

1920/21 QPR 2 Arsenal 0* (Chandler, O’Brien)

* - FA Cup

** - League Cup

Connections

Kenny Sansom >>> Arsenal 1980-1988 >>> QPR 1989-1991

Kenny Sansom’s promise was clear immediately, and started to be realised at an unusually early age. He was given a debut by Crystal Palace aged just 16, a club record at the time only recently overtaken by John Bostock who has sadly since been left to rot in Spurs’ reserve set up. He won the FA Youth Cup and won the club’s Player of the Year award in his first season. Nowadays somebody like Spurs would quickly through millions at him to snatch him from the clutches of rivals, bung him in a vast academy set up and forget all about him.

Thankfully for Sansom, and England, he stayed with palace and missed just one of 156 games as the Eagles moved from Third Division to First in the late 1970s. Palace topped the First Division in 1979 and Sansom was given a full England cap for the first time after years representing the various junior sides. He went to the 1980 European Championships with his country but it was during that summer that his first brush with QPR came about in bizarre circumstances. He was transferred to Arsenal in a complex swap deal with striker Clive Allen who had only just moved to Highbury himself from QPR for £1m and had yet to make a first team appearance.

At Arsenal Sansom was ever present for his first two seasons at the club and won the Player of the Year trophy in 1981. He played in the 1982 Spanish World Cup and 1986 tournament in Mexico and it was only the emergence of Stuart Pearce at Nottingham Forest that eventually threatened his place after eight solid years as first choice for club and country. Sansom won the League Cup as captain for Arsenal in 1987 but was then replaced as skipper by a young Tony Adams and, a year later, in position at left back by Nigel Winterburn.

Relations with manager George Graham soured as a result and Sansom, aged 30, looked around for alternate employment. After the thick end of 400 games for Arsenal he left, briefly, for Newcastle before pitching up, for £300,000, at QPR who were by this point, in 1989, managed by his his former coach at Highbury Don Howe. Sansom came into a QPR team that was becoming renowned for getting the best out of veterans like Peter Reid, Ray Wilkins, Mark Falco and, formerly, Trevor Francis and uickly clocked up 84 appearances between 1989 and 1991 at which point he was sold on to Coventry for £150,000.

Sansom is probably best remembered for his part in an extraordinary 1990 FA Cup run in which Rangers played nine separate games and yet failed to make the final. More on that shortly but, to tidy up, spells at Coventry, Everton and Watford followed before his retirement in 1994. He finished with 86 England caps, a record for a left full back only recently broken by another former Arsenal man Ashley Cole. He is now a regular TV pundit and part of Arsenal’s stadium tour.

Others >>> Armand Traore, Arsenal 2006-2011, QPR 2011-present >>> Jay Bothroyd Arsenal trainee, QPR 2011-present >>> Jay Simpson, Arsenal 2007-2010, QPR (loan) 2009-2010 >>> Matthew Connolly, Arsenal 2006-2008, QPR 2008-present >>> Frankie Simek, Arsenal 2003-2005, QPR (loan) 2004 >>> Matthew Hislop, Arsenal trainee, QPR 2005-2007 >>> Shabazz Baidoo, Arsenal trainee, QPR 2004-2008 >>> Dom Shimmin, Arsenal trainee, QPR 2005-2008 >>> Jerome Thomas, Arsenal 2001-2004, QPR (loan) 2002 >>> Brian McGovern, Arsenal 1997-2000, QPR (loan) 1999-2000 >>> Chris Kiwomya, Arsenal 1995-1998, QPR 1998-2001 >>> Andy Linighan, Arsenal 1990-1997, QPR (loan) 1998-1999 >>> Steve Morrow, Arsenal 1988-1997, QPR 1997-2001 >>> Matthew Rose, Arsenal 1994-1997, QPR 1997-2007 >>> Lee Harper, Arsenal 1994-1997, QPR 1997-2001 >>> Stewart Houston, Arsenal (coach) 1990-1996, QPR (manager) 1996-1997 >>> Bruce Rioch, Arsenal (manager) 1995-1996, QPR (coach) 1996-1997 >>> Gus Caesar, Arsenal 1984-1991, QPR (loan) 1990 >>> Don Howe, Arsenal 1964-1966, (manager) 1983-1986, (coach) 1997-2003, QPR 1989-1991 >>> Bobby Gould, Arsenal 1968-1970, QPR (coach) 1990-1991 >>> David Seaman, QPR 1986-1990, Arsenal 1990-2003 >>>Jimmy Carter, QPR 1985-1987, Arsenal 1991-1995 >>> Paul Barron, Arsenal 1978-1980, QPR 1985-1988 >>> Clive Allen QPR 1978-1980, 1981-1984, Arsenal 1980 >>> Frank McLintock, Arsenal 1964-1973, QPR 1973-1977 >>> John Hollins, QPR 1975-1979, Arsenal 1979-1983 >>> Terry Mancini, QPR 1971-1974, Arsenal 1974-1976 >>> Eddie Kelly, Arsenal 1969-1976, QPR 1976-1977 >>> Dave Metchick, QPR 1968-1970, Arsenal 1970 >>> Bill Dodgin Arsenal 1952-1961, QPR (manager) 1968 >>> Adam Haywood, Arsenal 1896-1899, QPR 1899-1900

Memorable Match

So, yes, that cup run. Rangers had drawn lower league Cardiff City in round three and eventually made it though thanks to goals from Wilkins and Roy Wegerle in a Loftus Road replay after a goalless first tie. That technique of keeping things tight in an away tie in the hope of seeing the job through at Loftus Road would come to the fore again in the next round when Rangers were handed the somewhat stiffer task of facing reigning champions Arsenal at Highbury. A dire game finished 0-0, a score QPR were clearly very pleased about, and so four days later the sides convened again on a boggy pitch at Loftus Road to fight for the right to meet Blackpool in the Fifth Round.

Sansom started on the left side of a defence that also included England’s Paul Parker, Northern Ireland’s Alan McDonald and Danny Maddix. In attack Colin Clarke partnered Roy Wegerle with Wilkins, Simon Barker, David Bardsley and Andy Sinton making up the midfield. David Seaman stood between the posts for Rangers, he would soon move across town to join Arsenal in a £1.3m deal.

Arsenal made a change to their line up having spurned the initial opportunity for competition progress with home advantage, George Graham recalled Michael Thomas instead of Paul Davis and kept Sansom’s replacement Nigel Winterburn at left back. Alan Smith led the attack, John Lukic started in goal. Steve Bould partnered Adams in defence and within three second of the match beginning he’d scythed down Wegerle to set the tone for the evening’s entertainment.

The sides exchanged early chances with Smith firing straight at Seaman after McDonald had done well to hold him up in a one on one situation and then Wegerle unleashing a first time volley out of nowhere from an impossible angle that Lukic did well to parry away.

Tony Adams rarely seemed to enjoy his visits to Shepherds Bush back in the day and the donkey noises which seemed to get to him at Loftus Road more than anywhere else could be heard ringing around the ground when he strode onto a low cross from a well worked set piece, unmarked and onside, but skied a presentable chance into the Upper Loft with Seaman helpless to do anything about it. The big keeper was called upon to save from Rocastle moments later and although he spilled the ball initially he’d regathered before Groves clattered him with one of those challenges that would certainly bring a card out these days.

Rangers needed to be more positive at the start of the second half and clearly Howe recognised that. A prolonged early spell of tidy possession tempted O’Leary into fouling Clarke on the edge of the area. Although a convoluted free kick routine came to nothing the ball then broke wide to Sansom who’s chipped cross swirled in the wind and rain and almost caught Lukic out underneath his crossbar but the keeper turned the ball behind one handed for a corner. Bardsley drilled over when the resulting set piece was delivered.

In torrential rain just before the hour mark Roy Wegerle made light of the conditions to skip past three Arsenal tacklers and feed Sinton whose typically purposeful run into the area created a shooting opportunity but Arsenal muscled up and blocked his sight of goal.

And the South African born USA international was at it again for the opening goal midway through the second half. His balance and poise failed only briefly during a mesmeric dribble that took him from the middle of the Arsenal half, out to the right touchline via the penalty area, and then back in towards the byline skipping past numerous defenders and never relinquishing possession once en route. Eventually he laid the perfect ball back to the edge of the area where Sansom arrived on cue to drill an unstoppable left footed shot into the corner of the net – his first ever QPR goal had come against the club he served with distinction for the best part of the previous decade.

George Graham sent on a young Paul Merson for Groves while Rangers were celebrating and could have been rewarded with an equaliser straight from the kick off but Michael Thomas fluffed his lines from close range. Then, in a frantic 60 seconds around the 70 minute mark, Bould headed straight at Seaman, Dixon forced an excellent save from the QPR keeper and Winterburn fired over – those three would soon welcome Seaman as a team mate and go on to form a formidable defence for years to come. The remaining part of that revered backline, Tony Adams, headed wide of Seaman’s post four minutes later.

An Arsenal equaliser certainly looked more likely than a second QPR goal as Smith chipped wide and Merson drew a decent save from Seaman in the bottom left hand corner. But as time wound down and the Gunners committed more men to the attack gaps started to open up for the home team and when Wegerle’s vision set Sinton free in the left channel in the final minute of the game the former Brentford winger and future England international made no mistake with crisp finish across Lukic, into the far corner. The Lower Loft enjoyed that one.

The victory set Rangers up for a fifth round tie at Blackpool which finished 2-2 thanks to two goals from Colin Clarke. The replay finished goalless before the R’s won the second replay 3-0 with goals from Sinton and Sansom again as well as Simon Barker. The quarter final paired them with Liverpool and after Wilkins and Barker had scored in the first game which finished 2-2 yet another replay had to be scheduled but this time Rangers lost 1-0 at Anfield.

QPR: Seaman, Parker, Maddix, McDonald, Sansom, Bardsley, Wilkins, Barker, Sinton, Clarke, Wegerle

Subs: Channing, Wright.

Arsenal: Lukic, Dixon, O’Leary, Adams, Bould, Winterburn, Rocastly, Richardson, Thomas, Groves, Smith

Subs: Pates, Merson.

Highlights >>> QPR 0 Arsenal 6 2000/01 >>> Arsenal 1 QPR 3 94/95 >>> QPR 1 Arsenal 3 1990/91 >>> QPR 2 Arsenal 0, FA Cup replay 1990 >>> Arsenal 2 QPR 2 74/75 >>> QPR 2 Arsenal 0 73/74

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Pictures – Action Images

Photo: Action Images

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